Nutrition

Sugar activates the reward center in our brain much the same way that drugs do, and provokes similar cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Studies in rats have shown that sugar activates the brain's pleasure centers more than cocaine does.

The main perpetrator is not glucose, but fructose, which some researchers have dubbed alcohol without the buzz. In the United States, intake of added sugar is far beyond recommended limits, and almost half of it is coming from sweetened beverages.

Studies suggest that every time we eat sweets we are reinforcing those neuropathways, causing the brain to become increasingly hardwired to crave sugar, building up a tolerance like any other drug.